Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt
Flood victims in some communities in Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers state are overwhelmed by the loss of their homes and properties, especially the sudden stoppage of their children’s education.
Affected families who now live in makeshift Internally Displaced Persons,IDPs, camp located in schools,are lamenting that the flood,has not only submerged the area, but suddenly brought an abrupt end to the education of their children.The schools now serve only their temporary accommodation.
They regret that the sudden surge of flood left them no room to salvage any of their properties. While there was no loss, they however, appealed to the state government for help.
The worst hit communities are Umuegbulum 1 and 2, Umuokologbo and Oyigbo West whose residents are forced to flee the homes and take refuge in the Internally Displaced Persons,IDPs Camps accommodating approximately 200 persons.
The camp is heavily guarded by armed local vigilantes, popularly called OSPAC, was seen providing security in the Area. Caterers were also seen preparing meals for the flood victims.
Over 200 people displaced by flood are in four communities in Oyigbo local government area of Rivers State.
Affected residents said that the flood caught them unawares making it impossible for them to make contingency arrangements causing them to lose their life investments and treasured belongings. They are now appealing to the local and state governments for assistance.
Months prior to the flood, both the Nigeria Meteorological Agency and the National Emergency Management Agency had predicted that certain local government areas in the state would experience severe flooding this year. Despite these warnings, the affected residents were unprepared for the scale of the disaster.
One resident, Sunday Anayo, described the situation, stating, “As I speak to you now, there is water everywhere from the road to my compound. Some people have even left their houses because of the situation. The flood is huge.”
Chinaza, another affected resident, shared the extent of the damage, saying, “My mattress, electronics, documents, and children’s property were all affected. The level of water is something else. Imagine a fridge being covered by the water. More than 200 people now don’t have a place to stay. So we just escaped by running away and we found ourselves here. We are just helpless now and we are begging the government to come to our aid because the camp they set up may not contain all those affected.”
Another resident, who opted to remain anonymous, expressed the devastating impact of the flood, saying, “We could not even recover anything from our house because of the water. I only brought out my son’s school bag.”
The Chairman of the Oyigbo Local Government Area, Nwaogu Akara, disclosed that the council has begun evacuating affected residents to the IDP camp in the vicinity. Akara assured the affected individuals that the local government would do its utmost to alleviate their suffering. He stated, “We will try our best, as a government, to make sure that our people do not suffer as a result of this occurrence.”